Quélern
Encyclopedia
Quélern is a hamlet in Roscanvel
, in the department of Finistère
(Brittany), in western France
.
against capture from behind the defences of the Roscanvel peninsula. They are 1.22 km long and form the only surviving non-urban line of fortifications in France
. Work on them was begun in 1695 by Vauban himself (they are still sometimes known as the Vauban system) and they were improved from 1777 to 1785 due to the American Revolutionary War
, in expectation of British action against the port of Brest. The lines still serve a strong geostrategic function and the area is still military land with no public access. An upper gate known as porte de Camaret and a lower gate known as porte de Crozon were the only two ways through the wall until their destruction, possibly between 1940 and 1944.
Roscanvel
Roscanvel is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Roscanvel are called in French Roscanvelistes.-See also:*Quélern*Communes of the Finistère department...
, in the department of Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
(Brittany), in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Fortified lines
The Quélern lines defended the entrance to the goulet de BrestGoulet de Brest
The Goulet de Brest is a 3 km long strait linking the roadstead of Brest to the Atlantic Ocean. Only 1.8 km wide, it is situated between the Pointe du Petit Minou and the Pointe du Portzic to the north and the îlot des Capucins and the Pointe des Espagnols to the south.At each turn of...
against capture from behind the defences of the Roscanvel peninsula. They are 1.22 km long and form the only surviving non-urban line of fortifications in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Work on them was begun in 1695 by Vauban himself (they are still sometimes known as the Vauban system) and they were improved from 1777 to 1785 due to the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, in expectation of British action against the port of Brest. The lines still serve a strong geostrategic function and the area is still military land with no public access. An upper gate known as porte de Camaret and a lower gate known as porte de Crozon were the only two ways through the wall until their destruction, possibly between 1940 and 1944.
Redoubt
From 1852 to 1854, a fort known as the réduit de Quélern was built to plans by Vauban, with modifications. It is a square-plan fort with bastions and surrounded by a dry moat. Like the lines, it is still Ministry of Defence property and thus not open to the public.External links
- Lignes fortifiées de Quélern (general inventory)
- Fort de Quélern-1854 (general inventory)
- Batteries de Quélern (photos)
- Réduit de Quélern (photos)